


The Magicians and their Dæmons

by halelikehell (Asko)



Series: Dæmon AUs [16]
Category: His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman, The Magicians (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Daemons, Canon Compliant, Could Be Canon, M/M, Photomanip, and fanfiction, except for the daemon part, introduction of everyone's daemons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-20
Updated: 2020-09-20
Packaged: 2021-03-08 05:00:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26569948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Asko/pseuds/halelikehell
Summary: An introduction of Quentin's and Eliot's dæmons.And their relationships with them and each others.
Relationships: Quentin Coldwater/Alice Quinn (mentioned), Quentin Coldwater/Eliot Waugh
Series: Dæmon AUs [16]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1110972
Kudos: 12





	1. Introductions

**Quentin Coldwater - Vita** , _Unicorn_

From behind Vita looked like a very small pony at the first sight, barely as big as a large dog. But when you looked closer you saw the tail; it was like a cow’s tail with a large tuft of longer brown-blonde hair at the end. Turning around her, you would be able to see the cloven hooves. But despite those she still looked like an agile small dirt colored piebald horse, or at least she did - until you saw the single slightly curved horn growing from her forehead.

Many times people had been staring at them, probably thinking Quentin was getting a bit too old to not have an established daemon. Quentin usually didn’t bother telling them that she had actually turned into this shape for the last time quite early on. It was quite rare to have fantasy animals as established daemons, and unicorns were a little special. They were seen as a symbol of purity and innocence, which was something you rarely kept when you grew into an adult and thus more seen as a childish dream. It was a stupid society thing, which was what Vita said about it. Sometimes people had started to talk to them like they were stupid because of it.

But when they arrived to Brakebills people looked at them with interest instead. It felt different, like they were an interesting curiosity rather than a grown-up child.

“Is it not common with fantasy daemons here?” Vita asked Eliot soon after they met. Quentin gave her a look but she just stuck out her forked tongue at him. She had always been bolder than him.

“Well, almost as rare as a unicorn is”, Eliot smiled a little as he looked over her. To Quentin’s horror she nearly tittered trotting next to him.

Eliot’s daemon in turn had slowed down walking next to him with its long legs and with the eyes still on the pair in front of them it spoke with a surprisingly deep calm voice that made it difficult to see what gender it was - “Looks like we should’ve exchanged humans.”

Quentin noticed this later on as well, it felt like Vita should’ve belonged to Eliot. As bright she was, she should’ve belonged to someone much more ... just more. Someone as lively like she was. That was an old thought that returned in the darkest times so he was used to it. And when he uttered something like that Vita would get those large sad eyes and curl tightly around him possessively. He could feel her love for him, that was the one thing he never doubted although he often felt like he didn’t deserve it.

He never had the thought that it meant that he would be worthy of Emery in turn.

**Eliot Waugh - Emery** , _Maned wolf_

Sometimes it felt like Eliot’s daemon revealed too much about him. Everyone knew him as this party-animal who was so much better than many of these people, he was loud and colorful. Emery was colorful too but ... they were calm where Eliot was loud. Whether Eliot was excited or angry Emery was talking low. But when Eliot was quiet Emery got louder.

He already knew he was making a mistake when Emery growled as he spoke those cursed words - “That’s not me and that’s definitely not you.” Emery wasn’t biting him in that moment but he could feel it in his chest, it felt like their teeth were crushing him between them.

“Eliot...” Emery spoke as they were walking away leaving Quentin behind.

“I know, I know”, Eliot muttered to them.

“You lied.”

“No, I didn’t”, he hissed. “It was the truth, it’s another timeline.”

“You made it sound like you don’t love him like that anymore”, Emery spoke lowly and calmly as they always did as they walked next to him.

“Well, I-.. I don’t”, Eliot tried but stopped soon when the familiar sounds of those paws stopped. He looked over his shoulder at Emery who stood still staring at him refusing to move. They didn’t say anything but Eliot could feel the disappointment souring inside his soul, it physically hurt like the bond between them were stretched thin.

“Fifty years”, Emery spoke low, they had always remained calm and only angry if the situation called for it. But this pain in their voice, Eliot had never heard it before. “I remember it too. Don’t lie to me Eliot.”

“Yeah, no, I’m sorry”, said Eliot with shame bubbling in his gut, he could barely look at Emery.

Emery didn’t say anything more but continued to walk up to him and then past him. In silence Eliot followed.

Later on, months later, Eliot said “Oh shit” realizing what he needed to do, return to that very moment. He glanced over to Emery who calmly looked back at him. They didn’t have to say it but he could hear them say - “I told you so.”  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter description of Vita; size of pony/dog, slightly bended horn, cow tail with a large tuft of fur, goat’s hooves and beard.
> 
> And yes, Emery wants to be called with they/them/their pronouns.
> 
> The name Vita is from the Latin word Vita, meaning Life.  
> Slightly (or very according to Q) ironic for a depressed person who has been suicidal.
> 
> The name Emery come from Emmerich, in which ric means ruler. The first part could mean several things; whole/universal, work/labour, or home.


	2. Chapter 2

Quentin’s old knees were groaning as he stood up. Vita yawned waking up from her nap, she was taking a lot more of them now when they were older. The white fur was growing into the colored spots around her eyes and her tail were more often dragged on the ground behind her instead of being lifted into the air, but her eyes still sparkled as she looked up to him.

“Another one done?” she asked. 

“Yes”, Quentin answered stretching his back with a groan. “Another failure, as the last one and the one before that and the one before that.”

“It’s okay”, Vita yawned again. “We’re fine, right Emery?”

Quentin had closed his eyes when he heard the tremor in Vita’s voice as she repeated - “Emery?” 

His eyes opened immediately. He had his back to Eliot who had been feeling a little under weather and sat down in a chair. Vita was standing in front of him staring at something behind him, a terrifying feeling started a tremor in his body. It was like his heart already knew what happened but his brain couldn’t keep up.

“Eliot?” he asked out loud as he turned around. Waiting for an answer, an annoyed mutter that he was asleep or a scathing reply that it was Q’s turn to make dinner. But it never came. 

“Quentin...” Vita’s voice trembled from behind him and he could feel her familiar body come close up to his legs. The familiar warmth. He could practically feel Emery’s fur underneath his hands as he had been petting them for so many years. But not anymore. 

They were gone. Eliot and Emery. Just a shell left behind. 

“I guess it’s just you and me left Vita”, Quentin swallowed. 

A long loud whining moan echoed in the glade and into the forests. Quentin had never heard Vita make such a sound, but he had never felt a sorrow like this too. 

\---

“... He lied Quentin”, Vita murmured sadly sitting next to him on the steps. 

“How do you know?” Quentin muttered back looking into the floor. Vita whined lowly and pushed her head into his lap, he knew she could feel the harrowing feeling in his chest. It felt numb and tender at the same time. Like the wound was something new and old at the same time. 

“Maybe it’s better like this”, Quentin continued and Vita looked up at him in confusion. “We’ve had a whole life together ... maybe that’s enough.”

Vita muttered lowly in protest but didn’t say anything waiting for him to continue.

“Maybe this is a second chance ... to have a life with Alice.”

Vita looked up at him and Quentin looked away, like always she could see right into his soul. 

“You don’t sound happy”, Vita pointed out without nonsense. 

“When have I ever been”, Quentin muttered as he stood up. “It’ll be fine.”

“You love him”, Vita spoke up from behind him with a stubborn tone in her voice.

“I love Alice too”, Quentin said over his shoulder as he started to walk to get out of this damn room. “Let’s not get greedy.”

Vita muttered lowly about wanting them both but it was low enough that Quentin was able to ignore it. Like he had always ignored it. 

\---

Emery had always been a gallant and calm figure. Never expressing something they hadn’t planned to show, even if it meant they sometimes showed something Eliot didn’t like. It was always on purpose.

But when they were told Quentin was dead, Eliot heard Emery make a noise they had never done before. It definitely slipped out and it felt like a punch in his gut to hear it.

When finally left alone he looked over to Emery who were looking like they were trembling.

“Stop”, Eliot murmured closing his eyes as hard as he could. It hurt, _it hurt_ , it hurt too much.

“I-I can’t”, Emery answered with tremble in their voice.

For a time after that their friends noticed that Eliot looked calm and sturdy as always, while Emery was suddenly the one who couldn’t hide. It felt like something had dug something out of Emery’s body, and it was missing making them unstable and unrooted. They stumbled and trembled until Eliot allowed some of the grief show through the thick protecting layer he surrounded himself with and Emery became a little more stable again. It was like always, Emery always revealed too much about him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please enjoy and comment! 
> 
> I had some other characters' daemons done too but I wanted to focus on these two in this fanfic. So here's the others below if you're interested:  
> Margot Hanson - Major, Wolverine  
> Penny Adiyodi - Wil, Hawk  
> Penny!Timeline 23 - Wil, Falcon  
> Julia Wicker - Julius, Crow  
> Alice Quinn - Albert, Arctic Fox  
> Kady Orloff-Diaz - Jade, Leopard  
> Josh Hoberman - Izzy, Hyena  
> Jane Chatwin - Ian, Opossum  
> Henry Fogg - Eric, Black bird  
> Martin Chatwin - Marcia, Dragonfly  
> The Beast – Moth
> 
> I hope you liked this!

**Author's Note:**

> Shorter description of Vita; size of pony/dog, slightly bended horn, cow tail with a large tuft of fur, goat’s hooves and beard.
> 
> And yes, Emery wants to be called with they/them/their pronouns. 
> 
> The name Vita is from the Latin word Vita, meaning Life.  
> Slightly (or very according to Q) ironic for a depressed person who has been suicidal.
> 
> The name Emery come from Emmerich, in which ric means ruler. The first part could mean several things; whole/universal, work/labour, or home.


End file.
